I'll protect you
by howtodreamagain
Summary: Lucy cried, "Why go to such lengths to protect me! You could die!" "It's because you're my princess", Natsu simply replied back, coughing blood. "Because I'm the dragon princess…?" "You figure that out Luce." Slighty OOC


**Hey guys, this is my first fanfic! Hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does.**

" _Igneel! Igneel! Story time, story time!" A little Natsu climbed onto his foster father's snout who snorted a plume of smoke that made the child cough._

" _Alright Natsu, I'll tell you a story so calm down", Igneel said affectionately as he picked his little fireball off of him and onto the soft bed of leaves._

 _Little Natsu looked up at him happily, his onyx eyes sparkling with anticipation for today's tale. Igneel slowly curled his body around the bed and placed his head next to Natsu's before beginning._

" _Today's story is something that really happened so listen carefully", and when little Natsu nodded, Igneel continued._

" _Once upon a time, in a magical land where dragons and mages coexisted peacefully, a baby girl was born to the dragon Queen. She had soft, golden locks, and warm, brown eyes that captured the hearts of all those around her. They called her—"_

 _Little Natsu cut him off sitting up excitedly, "Is she the same age as me?! Can I meet her?!" Igneel used one of his big claws to gently knock Natsu back down. "Let me finish the story, Natsu."_

 _Igneel cleared his throat before continuing, "As I was saying, they called her the Princess of the Dragons and she was watched over by many overprotective dragons. However, unbeknownst to everyone, some evil mages were also watching, waiting for their chance."_

 _A grinning Little Natsu stood up, waving his little fist covered by his bright flames around. "And then the dragons beat up the bad guys, right Igneel?!"_

 _The fire dragon sighed, "No…not this time. She was taken before any of us could do anything. The dragon kingdom mourned and the Queen passed away from her great loss."_

 _Little Natsu slumped back down into the bed, tiny tears pricking the corner of his eyes, "Then where's the princess now, Igneel?"_

" _No one knows Natsu—"_

" _I swear I'll find her one day! I'll rescue her and protect her and then all the dragons will be happy again!"_

 _Igneel's eyes widened at his statement before they softened and he rubbed a claw against his son's head warmly. "I'm sure you will son. And until you do find her, don't ever forget who she is Natsu. Our princess's name is Lucy Heartfilia, the girl blessed by the stars and loved by the dragons."_

 _Little Natsu sleepily grinned and raised his fist into the air, "I'll never forget her."_

 _Igneel watched as his son's eyes closed and chuckled before looking to the stars and then following his son into dreamland._

 _However, just before little Natsu was overcome by sleep, he muttered softly, "Goodnight, Princess Lucy… maybe I'll just call you Luce when I meet you, Princess Lucy is a mouthful."_

 _A far distance away, in a cold, dark cell, a young blonde smiled happily in her sleep, suddenly feeling warmer than usual._

 _And unnoticed by both children, a glowing thread tied their wrists together, entwining their destinies._

Eight years later~

A happy-go-lucky fire dragonslayer walked along the path in the forest surrounding Magnolia, accompanied by his best friend Happy, the exhibitionist Gray, the forever scary Erza and the rarely separated duo, Charle and Wendy. The six-man team, which Natsu proclaimed was Team Natsu were on a mission to fight some bandits in the forest. However, the main reason that Natsu was pumped was because this mission had been given to them by their Master, Makarov who had been uncharacteristically serious when discussing the mission details with them. In particular, Natsu and Wendy.

 _Flashback- 2 hours ago:_

" _Natsu, Wendy, stay in my office for a few minutes. The rest of Team Natsu, would you step outside?" Master requested but everyone knew it was a demand._

 _As the others obliged, Natsu and Wendy looked at their Master curiously._

" _Gramps, what's up?" Natsu asked._

" _These bandits may be keeping someone hostage. Someone very important to you and me, and I need you two with your enhanced sense of smell to find that person for me. Then bring them straight back to the guild."_

" _Someone important to us? Can we know who they are?" Wendy piped up, curious._

" _You'll know when you see them."_

 _And with that, he dismissed the pair who walked out bewildered._

And now as they searched for the bandits, Wendy continued to ponder over who the hostage could be while Natsu, the dense idiot, had nearly forgotten Gramp's request. However, all of a sudden, Natsu's head snapped up as a light and familiar scent, tainted with blood filled his mind and he sprinted in the direction it came from, shocking the others who quickly came to their senses and ran after him.

"Flame brain! What's up with you?!" Gray shouted, never seeing Natsu run that fast before. When he didn't receive a reply, he looked to his right at Erza who had a stoic expression on her face and then to his left where Wendy…

"WHERE'S WENDY?!" Gray panicked but Erza quickly directed his attention back to the front where Natsu and now Wendy was, the latter keeping pace with Natsu's mad dash.

"Natsu! Wendy! What is going on?!" Erza demanded in her strictest tone possible. However, her demand fell on deaf ears making her concern grow.

Meanwhile, the two dragon slayers, closely followed by their puffing exceeds finally reached a clearing where they could see the bandits from the mission request in a circle, leering at a person in the centre. Still in their trance state, Natsu and Wendy began to eliminate the bandits who were in the way of the scent. A few minutes later Gray and Erza joined them and together they took down all the bandits.

As Erza and Gray rounded up and tied the bandits with magic suppressing rope, Natsu and Wendy approached the hostage that Master had predicted would be there, still smelling the scents that had brought them there.

"Igneel…"

"Grandeeney…"

Hearing these names, the hostage slowly roused, her body battered with injuries, her blonde hair dull and brown eyes lifeless. She looked hazily at them, still seeing double from the blow to her head earlier.

By then, Team Natsu had surrounded her and none made a movement forward until Erza moved to put a hand on the shoulder of the girl who looked around her age. However, just as she was about to make contact, her wrist was grabbed with surprising strength by both Wendy and Natsu, their eyes glowing and teeth bared in anger.

"Don't touch her."

When Erza nodded, the two let go and moved forward, kneeling next to the girl who had fallen unconscious, as the rest watched on with bated breath and curious eyes. Slowly, Wendy put her hands over the girl and began healing her as Natsu placed the girl's head on his lap. Once the girl's main injuries were taken care of, the glow in both dragonslayers' eyes began to dim, returning them back to their normal selves.

"Uhh…who's this girl", Natsu asked, looking down.

Gray and the two exceeds looked at him with an are-you-serious-you-glared-at-Erza-over-her look. However, in the meantime, Wendy was still gazing at the girl as her mind made a connection to the story she had heard once with Grandeeney.

"Natsu-san", Wendy piped up gaining Natsu's attention who had been arguing with Gray, "Were you ever told a story about a certain person with blonde hair and brown eyes that was kidnapped?"

Natsu, who was a bit slower in the mind, looked back down at the girl, picking up a strand of her golden hair. And then suddenly he recalled his child self with Igneel who was saying, " _She had soft, golden locks, and warm, brown eyes…They called her…"_

"The Princess of the Dragons, Lucy Heartfilia", Natsu stated in a shocked tone.

"That's probably why we smell our dragons. And why we were so overprotective of her too- our inner dragons probably reacting to her."

"Uncle Igneel…? Aunty Grandeeney…? Is that you…?" A soft voice croaked, drawing their attention.

"They're our parents, Princess Lucy." Wendy replied back softly.

"…I…see…" And then Lucy fell back into the depths of dreamland, in the warm embrace of a person she felt was familiar to her.

Silently, Natsu stood up, carrying his precious Princess Lucy in his arms, as Team Natsu began to make their way back, a new addition with them.

 **And then ends Chapter One! Thanks for reading.**

 **-howtodreamagain**


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